Norman Foster addresses the first United Nations Forum of Mayors in Geneva

Norman Foster has given the opening keynote to the first UN Forum of Mayors, a platform where mayors presented their experience dealing with the COVID-19 health emergency and other challenges their cities are facing. Marking the start of this year’s Session of the Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, mayors from 41 cities as diverse as Belgrade, Glasgow, Kazan, Milan, Pittsburgh and Reykjavík, sent a clear message that healthy populations require more resilient and sustainable cities.

From introducing temporary public spaces where people can walk or cycle while practising social distancing, experimenting with new means of public transport, to decarbonizing heating systems, Norman Foster’s speech to the forum outlined how the current pandemic can be seen as an opportunity for mayors and other civic leaders across the world.

Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners, said: “Many have questioned the impact that the pandemic will have on cities. Significant issues have been raised about their future and as an architect and urbanist I am honoured to have had this opportunity to address Mayors and civic leaders from around the world as part of this important initiative by the United Nations.”

Speaking about how it is ‘vital that Mayors lead public debate on how cities can be remoulded into greener, healthier, and more liveable places’, he lauded the initiative, urging civic leaders to be ‘at the forefront of change.’ His address illustrated the challenges and opportunities at both the urban scale and at the level of individual buildings with ‘sustainable principles hardwired into them’. He went on to showcase how these are not novel ‘trends’ but moves that have already taken place in cities around the world, from Madrid to Seoul.

“Cities are the future, statistically more so today than ever before. City centres will have the potential to be quieter, cleaner, safer, healthier and vitally, if the opportunity is grasped, to be greener,” added Foster.

Click to read Norman Foster’s keynote speech.

Notes to Editors:

Mayors of 41 cities participated in the forum including:

Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan, Italy
Abdulah Skaka, Mayor of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jan Vapaavuori, Mayor of Helsinki, Finland
Remigijus Šimašius, Mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania
Gergely Karácsony, Mayor of Budapest, Hungary
Jānis Vilnītis, Chairman of the Liepāja City Council, Latvia
Viktoria Mozgacheva, Deputy Mayor of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Konstantin Georgieski, Mayor of Ohrid, Republic North Macedonia
Conxita Marsol Riart, Mayor of Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Peter Danielsson, Mayor of Helsingborg, Sweden
Hazel Chu, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ireland
Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana, Albania
Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Greece
Hayk Marutyan, Mayor of Yerevan, Armenia
Maia Bitadze, Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi, Georgia
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Israel
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine
Jahongir Ortiqkhojaev, Mayor of Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Zdeněk Hřib, Mayor of Prague, Czech Republic
Nina Abrahamczik, Vienna City Council, Austria
Martin Horn, Mayor of Freiburg, Germany
Morten Wolden, Chief Executive of Trondheim, Norway
Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice, Poland
Kishwar Shamirov, Mayor of Khorog, Tajikistan
Carlos Carreiras, Mayor of Cascais, Portugal
Tomaso Rossini, Captain of the Castle, San Marino
Zoran Radojičić, Mayor of Belgrade, Serbia
Lucia Štasselová, Deputy Mayor of Bratislava, Slovakia
Gregor Macedoni, Mayor of Novo mesto, Slovenia
Alec von Graffenried, Mayor of Berne, Switzerland
Dagur B. Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland
Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, United Kingdom
Ilsur Metshin, Mayor of Kazan, Russian Federation
Ion Ceban, Mayor of Chișinău, Moldova
Andres Jaadla, Vice Mayor of Rakvere, Estonia
Pierre Hurmic, Mayor of Bordeaux, France
Bill Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, USA
Lisa Helps, Mayor of Victoria, Canada